Beginning DirectX 11 Game Programming [Anglais] [Broché]

Being an OpenGL only person, I figured it was time to broaden my horizons and see what DirectX was all about. This book is good about breaking down every parameter to each function using DirectX. For example, it explains what every parameter to D3DX11CreateDeviceAndSwapChain do and what they're used for. There are a few problems with this book that can frustrate the crap out of you if you don't realize it is a small error. I haven't read the book spending hours on each page, but I was able to find a few errors that cause tension when you're learning:

1. Page 51: ID3D11Context doesn't exist, it is ID3D11DeviceContext. I searched the header files for ID3D11Context and it simply doesn't exist. If you knew DirectX11, you'd know it was ID3D11DeviceContext instead, but for a beginner who has no idea, it can be a frustrating response when your compiler says "ID3D11Context: undeclared identifier".

2. Page 54: OMSetRenderTarget doesn't exist it is OMSetRenderTargets. A very simple error (they left of the 's'), but you can spend a lot of time just hunting down the correct function. Luckily, the following pages contain OMSetRenderTargets correctly, but if you're like me and like to step through the book while programming, it doesn't work.

3. Page 118: "A 2D texture uses a single value for its texture coordinate. A 2D texture uses two values for its texture coordinates". I think they meant to say "A 1D texture uses a single value for its texture coordinate." Without any knowledge on graphics programming, this could be a problem.

4. This book doesn't show what header files or libraries are required for each function. For instance D3DX11CompileFromFile isn't in d3dcompiler.h, it is in d3dx11async.h. Do I include d3dx11.lib or d3d11.lib? OpenGL (using GLEW) uses opengl32.lib and glew32.lib and that's it.

5. This book uses DXTRACE_ERR and DXTRACE_MSG. However, unless you know where these are or which header they're in, you'll have to search for yourself. Also, don't forget the library file dxerr.lib!

All in all, this book is a good beginner's book. It doesn't go into depth about graphics programming, it is just about DirectX11 (which you can get from the title of the book). So know what you're getting into. If you don't know anything about 3D programming, this book really isn't for you. If you do know 3D programming, but want to learn the new(er) DirectX11, this book IS for you.

If this book spent less time explaining Intro to C++ topics like why I should use the managed pointer libraries (really?) and didn't write every single example out like a lesson in maximum object-oriented coding, it might have had space to actually get into DirectX 11 topics like tesselation. And, maybe some real gaming concerns like collision detection and how to use DirectCompute. Or 3D/stereoscopy. Or interfacing with other MS libraries (GDI, DirectDraw). Or any of a host of actual gaming topics. Instead, by the end, you are prepared to understand only the most rudimentary examples that are covered by many on-line tutorials in one quarter the space. But, hey, you will remember to error check every single API call and never to let the memory manager de-allocate anything when you are done (I am trying to sarcastically say that every example is a long-winded and pendantic).

There are also a lot of minor errors that any competent reviewer should have caught. And even a non-technical editor should have noticed that many of the graphics are unrecognizable. These aren't terrible in and of themselves, but are probably indicative that this book was really rushed to market.

It is hard to believe that either of these authors have ever written any serious, real-time gaming code. They seem better suited to writing Intro to Java books. For which they would probably be great. Use the Web tutorials and SDK examples first. Only buy this book if you really, really want another pass of the same material. I would be very bummed if I had only this to use as my primary source.

When I first saw this book a few months before it was released, I got very excited. As soon as it was available on preorder, I ordered it.

It came to me and I immediately began reading it. The information at the beginning was useful and well written, but not once in the entire book did I get a sense of "game" programming. If the book was not titled "Beginning DirectX 11 Game Programming", I would have never known. This book is anything but game programming, which would have been OK with me if the title didnt blatantly advertise it. This doesnt even cover audio. Not once in the book do you get to create a demo game of any kind. When I purchased this book, I expected to see what I saw in "Beginning Game Programming Third Edition" but better. If there is another edition of this book written, I would like to see it cover a demo game in each chapter, and I would like to see every part of DirectX covered (Including XACT, DirectCompute, and XAudio. Even if just a few pages).

Long story short... Worth the money ($20)... But if you are looking for a DirectX 11 book for beginners that covers everything and at the same time offers demo games, the book does not exist yet; trust me.

Authors: If you read this, please do not be offended. I am not doing this out of spite, I just wanted to express my thoughts on what the book appeared to offer and what it actually did. The things that were written were written well; I am more concerned that the parts that were not written at all that I believe should have been written.